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Full-Court Press
YOU get the sense the Hawaii basketball team is out of the minds of local fans and has been ever since Fresno State's Terrance Roberson buried that 3-pointer from the west wing two years ago to keep the Rainbows from taking a bite out of the NIT's Big Apple. UH can’t top the
days of AC, SmithHawaii's best opportunity to make some noise on the national scene came and went with the departures of Anthony Carter and Alika Smith. And you can't help but wonder if Hawaii head coach Riley Wallace will ever get that close again.
That team two years ago wouldn't have lost last night's league game to No. 13-ranked Tulsa. Granted, the Golden Hurricane is a talented, if not flashy, 24-2 squad that waits patiently for its opponent to make mistakes. But Tulsa is not as good as the Kansas team Hawaii stunned in the final of the 1997 Rainbow Classic.
Despite hitting only 5 of 20 3-pointers and being outrebounded by the Rainbows, 39-29, the Golden Hurricane still won, 75-61, due in part to the inside game of sixth man David Shelton.
His work from in close is a lesson to all the kids out there, that banking shots off the glass from two feet away can be as effective as the long-range bombs from the perimeter.
HAWAII'S defense in the paint was appallingly bad, while the decision-making of Predrag Savovic caused Wallace's choice to keep him on the floor after the sophomore picked up his fourth foul look even worse.
Instead of making sure he didn't catch the eye of an officiating crew that wasn't having a good night, Savovic was whistled for a silly fifth foul at the 10:26 mark and that was it.
As has been the case all season, Marquette Alexander did what he could down the stretch to keep the Rainbows in it. Tulsa head coach Bill Self believes the senior center is worthy of All-WAC consideration.
But as sound as Alexander is around the basket, he can't go it alone.
What's worse, it's unlikely the two-year player will be involved in the NCAA Tournament or NIT. For one, last night's loss was the fourth in a row for a team that has to win at least three more just to get a sniff from the NIT.
But judging by the lack of fan support -- there were only 4,600 in the house to see a nationally ranked team -- it really doesn't matter if the Rainbows run the table.
Which is a troubling trend in and of itself. What June Jones demonstrated in turning around the football program is that you can win with good coaching and sound recruiting.
Wallace and his staff have done only an adequate job in both areas the past two years and the result can be seen in all the empty seats scattered throughout the Stan Sheriff Center.
EARLY on, Wallace looked like a genius for scheduling those nonconference cupcakes. But it's burning him now as the conference campaign winds down.
Despite once owning a 15-5 record, the Rainbows weren't prepared to play the top teams in a league that's rated only 10th overall in the country.
What's left now is a final home game with Rice University tomorrow night and a pair of road trips to San Jose State and Fresno State.
Unlike last year, the Rainbows will be involved in the WAC tournament. But their likely first-round opponent will be either Southern Methodist or host team Fresno State.
That doesn't bode well for a long and prosperous postseason run.
Wallace had better find a way to stop this trend or run the risk of keeping his program out of people's minds for good.
Paul Arnett has been covering sports
for the Star-Bulletin since 1990.